APC Primaries: Fr. Alia Reacts to Appeal Court Judgment that ordered the APC to conduct a fresh primary in 11 LGAs in Benue State.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has reacted to the Court of Appeal judgment that ordered the All Progressive Congress to conduct a fresh primary in 11 LGAs of the state to further determine the nomination of its governorship candidate for the forthcoming general election.
Reacting to the court judgment during a press briefing on Monday, 23rd January, 2023, in Makurdi, Fr. Alia was quoted as saying, “First and foremost, I want to reassure you that we have confidence in the judicial system. However, it is important to note that the court has agreed with the APC on the rerun of June 9, 2022, which took place in 12 LGAs of Benue State and was valid and still stands, and for us, this is a victory. Therefore, the rerun is only in 11 LGAs, and it will be almost impossible to overturn the valid votes already in our favor in the 12 LGAs.
I understand that this news may be disheartening for many of our supporters, but I urge all of you to remain calm and law-abiding. Take it to the bank that we are still going to be on the ballot on March 11, 2023, and we are all in this together for the greatness of our dear state and for the glory of God. I assure you that we are not giving up on this very important journey to rescue the good people of Benue from poor leadership, and we will not let this setback weaken us.
As we move forward, I will be consulting with our legal team and the leadership of the party in order to determine our next steps. We have two options: to comply with the order of the Appeal Court and conduct a rerun primary in the eleven local governments within 14 days or to approach the Supreme Court for further interpretation.
Whatever decision we make, I want to assure you that we will be making it with the best interests of our party, people, and state in mind. We will not be swayed by the challenges we face at the moment, but instead, we will rise above them and continue to fight for a better future for all of us.
I also want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all of you, my supporters, for your unwavering support and belief in our party’s mission for a Greater Benue. Together, we will come out of this stronger and more united than ever before” he declared.
It would be recalled that while delivering judgment on the appeal filed by the plaintiff, Prof. Terhemba Shija, who also participated in the primary elections, Justice Danjuma, who read the judgment, said “the court agreed with Prof. Shija in his assertion that there was no valid primary elections held on 27th May, 2022, by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the nomination of its governorship candidate in which Alia was declared the winner.”
Justice Danjuma was quoted as saying, “After evaluating the evidence submitted by Professor Terhemba Shija, which among others was the appeal panel report that sat after the primary elections to hear the issues of concern from aspirants, it made recommendations that the primary election of 27th May, 2022 was not valid.”
However, the court agreed with the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the rerun elections of 9th June, 2022 which took place in 12 LGAs of the state, saying they were very valid and still stand.
The court held that the APC conducted valid governorship primaries on 9th June, 2022 as witnessed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and declared Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia as the authentic winner.
The 12 local government areas in Benue State where the rerun was held include Kwande, Konshisha, Ushongo, Buruku, Agatu, Ogbadibo, Oju Okpokwu, Apa, Ohimini Obi, and Ado local governments.
The 11 local government areas where the court ordered fresh primary elections include Makurdi, Gboko, Vandeikya, Katsina, Gwer-East, Gwer-West, Guma, Logo, Otukpo, Ukum, and Tarka.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia stands tall, holding a strong advantage, as the Benue APC is faced with the decision of either following the directive of the Appeal Court to conduct a rerun primary in the 11 local governments within 14 days or seeking justice at the Supreme Court.
It’s a win-win situation!
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